Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an allotrope of carbon having an exceedingly long length-to-diameter ratio. These cylindrical carbon molecules possess novel properties, including exceptional strength and unique electrical properties, making them of substantial interest for applications in diverse fields of nanotechnology, electronic devices, optical devices and materials science. Inorganic nanotubes are also known. Efficient methods for production of CNTs is therefore an area of intense research.
A number of techniques are available for synthesizing CNTs. Many methods for synthesizing CNTs produce mixtures of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and SWCNTs. For CNTs to be optimally utilized, methods for efficient production of SWCNTs having controlled properties, such as length, diameter, chirality, and number of walls are desired. Further, efficient methods are desired to manipulate synthesized CNTs into multi-nanotube arrays with controlled placement of the CNTs, which may be used in electronic, optical and mechanical applications, such as electronic devices.